Getty Images promotes gender diversity with new Women Photograph grant

Getty Images is making moves to empower its community.

Last year — for the third year in a row — three $10,000 grants were given to photographers who are changing the game by reaching a global audience. Among the winners was Saumya Khandelwal for her exposé on Child Brides.

Then Getty released their 2018 Visual Trends study, based on cumulative download data that was studied over the past couple of years. The study coined the subjects, ‘Masculinity Undone,’ ‘Second Renaissance,’ and ‘Conceptual Realism’ as the focus.

On April 8th, Getty announced a new grant in partnership with Women Photograph which aims to stimulate “gender diversity in photojournalism and elevate the voices of female and non-binary visual journalists.”

The grant offers mentorship and $10,000 in funding to help support female photojournalists who have stuck to their stories and are passionate about supporting their communities. Director of Photography at Getty Sandy Ciric said,

“At Getty Images we are a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in all its forms – this is just as important within a photographic frame, as well as behind the camera. We’re proud to partner with Women Photograph and further expand our existing program with this important new grant aimed specifically at nurturing talent and elevating the work of all photojournalists.”

The panel of judges include renowned directors and editors of photography from various media platforms including The New York Times, NBC, The Intercept, Women Photograph and Getty Images. Here is the full list:

— Mallory Benedict, Managing Director,Women Photograph and Photo Editor, National Geographic

— Sandy Ciric, Director of Photography,Getty Images

— Shaminder Dulai, Managing Editor,NBC Left Field

— Sandra Stevenson, Picture Editor,The New York Times

— Ariel Zambelich, Senior Photo Editor,The Intercept

“The Reportage Grants are open to all entrants, awarding sums of $15,000 to three separate recipients in support of new or ongoing in-depth photography projects, providing the creative freedom and collaborative editorial support necessary to pursue work of personal and journalistic significance.”

The award was made possible through a partnership with Women Photograph, a platform launched to promote female and non-binary voices in photography.

Founder of Women Photograph, Daniella Zalcman spoke of the important partnership with Getty. She said,

“Our partnership with Getty Images brings us one step closer to achieving our mission of shifting the gender makeup of the photojournalism community and ensuring our industry’s chief storytellers are as diverse as the communities they hope to represent.”

We are all hyped to see who will be chosen for this year’s program. Entries will be accepted until May 15th and winners will be announced at the end of this year.

For more information on Getty Images Grants program, peep here.